Subaqueous tunneling and excavating.



R. L. DUNN & L. M. HALL.

SUBAQUEOUS TUNNELING AND EXCAVATING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 491 1.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

m. M. i Lai l M e 15.

RUSSELL L. DUNN AND LEON M. HALL, OF

W a i am 'i SUBAQUEQUS TULYNELING AND EXCAVATING.

J n w w 1 191.1. 59%. 221

Application filed May 17,-

Zo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we. RUSSELL L. DUNN am Leon M. HALL, both citizens or" the United States. residing in the city and cnunty of San Francisco and State cf Calit'cenia, have the cnnstruction and combination of parts.

as hereinafter more fully described anal clainiccl, having reference to the accmnpni mg drawing, in which the figur is a p spective *iew (if the invention.

Various meat We been devised fur subaqueous excavating in places it nere the inn: terial is too soft t0 form a suitable support te retain itself in position; to prevent. entrance of water and "to retain the material so that the excavating can be properly (lei e and protected.

Our invention is ilcsi e l to harden or solidify the soft material. beneath. the surface to such an extent that the material heneath this hardened surface 111"" he. prop erly excai'atei'l and suitable retaining tures: built. This hardening or snlizli of the snt't nuul or material is tiller-vital the application of a suliicicut \lw to provide a tem 4): y supporting eur face, beneath w ich the excavation ant structural work may he etl'ectetl.

As shown in the drawing; we term a plat form A of any suitable 0r :lesiretl 'zc, l

for conven ence in working abnre tl ture is a second platform 2. united with the first nni'nel structure by suitable shuttling and connecting framework, as at 3. The

. tace It may he nuule 01 metal or ether suitabl material and. is provided wi h cork or other insulation which is of SUi'llClJ'llt character and thickness to protectthe surface below from l'h action of t e superimposed water, which may be of igher temperature. This surface A is intended t e rest directly upon the mud or surface to be ,2:-

cavatetl and We have proyidcd a tank or S ecification 01" Letters Patent.

Paenteel Eel).

1911. Serial Nu. 627.870.

tanks n, which are suitably fixed upoi the apparatus; and by means if pumps not here shown, water may be admitted to fill the tank anti 2" 't in sinking the structure upnn the surface below, or by filling; the tank with air, sufficient buoyancy may he 1)l'()( lll('.tl to raise the 'uc ture.

The upper platfnrni serves as We-r10 trig plut'l'orni. and upon which carried s any suita lrine tank (3 which may be of tll l6 construction and previclecl with well known means not here shmvn,l0y the ten'iperature may he lowered to any'cicsiretl degree, preterably below the "freezing;

L. the insulation 4. anti tlesigneil to s 11k the surface helnw by the wei 'htof th ructure. 'lhe retrig ting b in circulated through these tubes, paesing (10m: llirnugh nnc anal returning through its ()(iltllhlllfi'iiifi tube, until the mat h is irnzen or solidified ti any si r other i115u s su bn'iergecl the warmer ting material protecting ti itvruzi from the actionnt' water annve, so that the refrigerati cut rents in have their "full etl ect anti the surtaec will lie gradually ha tlenetl tn such an nth inay z being withdrawn and enable the u l' prnvule the necessary inclnsing structure b neath the snlitlifieci portion. It

will he intent that. the superposed protecting structure which may he of any (lesirctl length and width, may be duplitec. as may he found necessary in constructron. Thus, when one portion has been sufi'iciently solidified for the work '60 eo1nnence, a seccncl portion may be prepared by placing a contiguous structure and operating'iheeheni'sni and as the worlt in the first is finished it may be raised and moved to a point in front of the second structure and the work thus continued.

The material may be removed from be- 5 neath the solidified structure directly by the pumps or by other Well known and suitable means employed in such excavation. The excavation may be in the form of a tunnel, as in the illustration, or it may be worked vertically through the floor of the apparatus. Thismethod of construction greatly reduces the labor and expense of this class of work.

It will be obvious that the refrigerating and circulating devices may be carried upon floats when the work is to be carried on beneath a body of water, with flexible connections to the tubes 7, and in any case the connections will be made to suit the particular conditions under which the work is to be carried on.

Having thus described our invention, What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- A means for solidifying a protecting co above the portion to be excavated, means consisting of a movable platform -.pted to be located above said surface, and means for introducing a solidifying element.

2. A means for hardening and solidify ing a surface above a part to be excavated, said means including a platform adapted to cover the surface, a tank located upon the plat form and adapted to contain a refrigerant, passages extending from the tank into the material to be solidified, and means to raise and lower the apparatus.

3. Means'for hardening or solidifying a surface above the portion to be excavated, said means including a platform adapted to cover the surface, a non-conducting surface carried by said plat-form, a superposed re ceiver for a liquid capable of reducing teur perature, and means for sending said liquid through the platform and into the tubes which extend into the material. to be solidi" 4:. Means for hardening or solidifying a surface above the part to be excavated, said means including a non-heat conducting platform, a refrigerating brine containing tank carried thereby and means for reducing the temperature, by circulating pipes leading from said tank to the space in the material beneath the tank whereby the temperature around the pipes is reduced to allow the supporting material beneath to be excavated, and protecting structures to be builttherein.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witneshes.

eussnnp L. new.

LEON HALL.

Witnesses:

JOHN H Human o, M. V. COLLINS. 

